F3 New Orleans

Tag: El Guapo

  • Bridges & Burpees in lieu of Bars & Beers

    Strong showing of fourteen runners and four cyclists posted at the Stomp in City Park to get their usual Tuesday fix.  With the annual Bar-a-thon just 10 days away, YHC figured the PAX could use some training to make sure the legs and lungs will be up to par for the pinnacle of F3 CSAUP events….liver training will be OYO in evenings.  Since it wouldn’t be practical to squeeze in 6 miles, 6 bars, and 6 beers in the gloom, we opted for a “Bridge-a-thon” instead to include 6 kilometers, 6 bridges, and 6 rounds of burpees.  Goal was 40 minutes, F2 encouraged, and awards to follow for various categories TBD.  As the clock neared launch time, we recapped the 6K route w/burpees x10 at each of the 6 bridges:  Start with normal run down Roosevelt Mall, across bayou, left on Moss St., left on Desaix Bridge, right onto Wisner overpass, run down paved path along bayou, hit Harrison bridge, turn around, pass in front of Pan Am Stadium down Zach Taylor Dr, left at underpass, then Henry Thomas Dr to Roosevelt Mall back to the flag, then sweep the six or start some Mary. 

    The PAX all completed the mission, some modified up or down, most with extra time for additional running and/or Mary.  The guys on bikes embarked on a longer route and met us back at the flag, just in time for the “awards ceremony“.  In true Barathon fashion, koozies were awarded for the following random categories, with the entire PAX coming to a 2-3 second consensus for each award:

    Fastest Runner – El Guapo took home the chic Nyx koozie, since he was the manliest guy that morning and can best pull off using a girly koozie

    Most Sophisticated/Best Dressed – Chips was unanimous winner with his tank top and bright orange shoes…he left with the fancy zip-up longneck koozie

    Most Ordinary/Average PAX – After a breif debate, War Eagle took this title for the morning and left with the most average, used koozie that YHC could find in his garage. 

    Best Cyclist – Amnesia was awarded this by his fellow biking peers, I think for his speedy use of the Blue Bike.  

    Sweatiest Guy – This was to be the most coveted award since it meant you probably worked the hardest….went to Screw Top, who took home a custom, one-of-a-kind vintage F3 puffy foam koozie. T-claps for pushing hard!

    T-claps to all, and sorry that everyone didn’t get a trophy.    

    COT included usual announcements, GiveNola details, and a reminder that while many of us might joke about beer drinking being a “sport”, YHC suggested we strive to do it in moderation and not let it get the best of us….and to be a help to others around us who may be slipping down that slope.  We lifted up several intentions for those battling illness as we closed with a prayer.

    Great to see lots of new faces lately consistently out in the gloom.  And lots of good F2 as always.  I was able to chat with a few guys along the run, which is always a good way to start the day. Also shout out to Dirty Dell who used his doctor skills to asses a downed PAX. Fortunately all was well.  

    Hope to see everyone at the Tchoupitoulas Barathon on May 17.  It’s always a blast, even if you’re not a beer drinker.  Details here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-tchoupitoulas-social-aid-athletic-club-bar-a-thon-the-38th-registration-46260502408

    Tool       

  • Stiffler’s Mom gets a boost

    Well the ISI challenge brought a record crew to Colisseum Square run.  10 PAX headed out after finding the correct starting spot (bigger round fountain on the uptown side of the park.)  Headed down to Melpomene then up to St.Charles for a run in the Neutral Ground.  Fast group made it to Napoleon (others turned earlier) then down to Magazine and back to the start.  Lead group paced at 8:10 mile with the last 2 miles under 8!  At the imaginary flag- misordered name-o-rama and countoff and then a prayer for charity.  Great morning!

  • Danger Zone 1 Pax 0

    This morning 9 of the fastest F3 PAX decided to take on the Danger Zone. I gave the disclaimer at 5:30 a.m. and we moseyed on over to the Track a.k.a. the Danger Zone (DZ).

    Warm-O-Rama
    We did a light mosey around the track with high knees, butt kicks, carioca right/left side. We finished warming up with a few 30 yard warm-ups that honestly I forgot what they were!

    We then headed on over the the Agility ladders. Here we did the following:
    – Two feet in each square then sprint 30 yards
    – Jumping Jack Feet then sprint 30 yards
    – Icky Shuffle then sprint 30 yards
    – One left foot hop then sprint 30 yards
    – One right foot hop then sprint 30 yards

    We did a 25 second breather and we were onto a 1 mile run which included Sprinting the straights and jogging the turns. Some of the PAX did a lap cool down while others (myself included) were gasping for air—last time I eat Mexican at 8:00pm before a workout!!

    Next up we did 3 heats of 100 meter sprints – due to the popularity of the Danger Zone in just 2 weeks we had to split up into 2 heats. After the first round we realized we needed some more stretching so we stopped and did some more stretching before Heat 2 and 3.

    Apparently the stretching didn’t help Jesus Juice as he has been complaining all day at work about how he pulled a buttocks muscle and is limping around the office like a wounded animal.

    We then used the agility ladders for some ladder push ups X2. We did a cool down stretch and moseyed back to the flag right on time.

    We did Count-o-rama, COT, and Prayed. Fun time this morning in the DZ hope Jesus Juice gets his rear end back for next week.



  • I Feel the Need

    The newest F3 Nola workout exploded on to the scene today with a Pax of 6. This was my first workout with Rudy since he has been back. It was nice to have him keep me accountable on the time as I started one minute late with the disclaimer.

    Warm-Up

    I believe this AO will prove to be high risk / high reward so the warm-up will prove to be the most important part of the workout. Today was cooler than normal so it became extra important.

    Jog to the track and continue for one lap (About 1/3 of a mile).

    • Lunge walk x 10 each leg
    • Elephant walk (Reach down with your right hand grabbing the toes on your right foot and pull up on them for 2-3 seconds. Take three steps and repeat with left foot, yadda, yadda, yadda.
    • High knees
    • Butt kicks
    • Carioca right then carioca left
    • Exaggerated Skip aka Super Mario
    • Short sprints with recovery (10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards, 40 yards, 50 yards)
    The Thang

    We ran a mile for time to set our baseline. The plan is to check our progress in 3 months or so. Here are the times:

    • El Guapo: 7:01
    • High Rise: 7:54
    • Kuch: 7:29
    • Rudy: 7:09
    • Screwtop: 6:48
    • Hawgcycle: 6:37

    After finishing the mile we did some more stretching: Butterfly and Hamstring.

    A few more sprints: 220m at 75%, 110m at 50%, finished with 3 100m sprints at full speed

    Cool Down

    Easy Jog for 330m followed by lunges x 10 each leg and a mosey back to the flag for COT.

    The Skinny
    • Cool morning so the long warm-up was necessary. I stuck with my plan in spite of Rudy’s mumble chatter. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed it. It’s been a while. It’s possible that I started a minute late and extended the warm-up just to hear his sarcasm.
    • Kuch and Screwtop set the standard for the 100m sprints.
    • Screwtop and YHC both left the track a little gimpy. Based on early returns there is only a 33% chance of getting injured at this AO. This is better than I envisioned. The risk is high, but I think the reward will be greater.
    • Screwtop stepped up to take the next Q. Don’t miss out.
    • Still looking for a name. I’m good with “Need for Speed” if nothing else emerges over the next week or so. After he set the bar for the first two 100m sprints, we could go with “The Kuch is Loose.”

  • That Was Super

    Run Ranger Run crunch time ensured that we had a healthy number of Stompers on Tuesday. In order to maximize our time, we ran the traditional route down the bayou, 22:30 out, then turned around and came back. The only rule was that you must have a negative split. We didn’t all achieve the negative split, but we were close. We circled up for COT a minute or two late and gave thanks for the day.

    NMM
    • T-claps to Smooth. He was able to make it just past Earhart. That is the farthest I’ve ever known anyone to make it. 6.5 miles for a just over a 7 minute/mile pace. That’s poster material.
    • T-claps to War Eagle. He has become a runner in the past couple of months. The young buck must have been feeling his oats as we rounded NOMA on the back stretch. Like a horse to the barn he took off as Rudy and El Guapo approached. He was a good 10-15 feet ahead of me and I was not able to close the gap. I was seriously wondering if he was going to beat me to the flag.
    • He didn’t.
    • There was a supermoon in the sky. Problem was that we couldn’t see it. If you haven’t noticed, it will be raining in New Orleans for the next two months.
    • T-claps to Amnesty and Tool who, each nursing their injuries, were willing to get out on their bikes and get some work in. The ride-by heckling was a nice touch.
    • Running in shoes is the worst. How do you all do it? It’s awful. If anyone is headed to Hawaii soon, let me know. I’ll give you $5 to pick me up a pair of Locals slippers from the nearest CVS.
    • Run Ranger Run 10 Member Team Standings as of 1512 hours on 2/20. It’s tight:
      • #5 Okwata (507 miles)
      • #6 Rock City (494 miles)
      • #7 The Birdcage-1 (476 miles)
      • #8 Mothership (470 miles)
      • #10 Northshore (461 miles)
      • #18 HNJ (362 miles)

  • 610 Stomp with 11 PAX

    The mumble chatter started the night before with the PAX anticipating a rainy run on this Tuesday morning.  The weather forecast indicated a nearly 80% chance for rain. Well the weather advisors are sometimes wrong, right?

    So 11 committed PAX met at the Stomp for 5:30 ready to log some miles for Run Ranger Run.      After a brief disclaimer, we moseyed along the normal Tuesday morning route up Roosevelt Mall, around NOMA, out of City Park, and around the Bayou and into the City.     20 minutes out and 20 minutes back.

    T-claps to da Cousin for continuing to push. Getting up out of bed and to the workout is the first challenge of the day – keep doing so and you will reach your goals.

    The legend of “Smooth” grew today  – I think he ran into downtown, saw the riverfront, stopped for coffee, and still made it back in less than 40 minutes.  Seriously though – thanks Smooth for setting the bar high for all of us to attain.    Keep pushing us.

    Meet at the flag for a few minutes of Mary – flutter kicks and penguins.  Closed the workout with 10 merkins OYO.

    Count-off, Name-o-rama, and intentions.  Thanks for the opportunity and privilege to lead.

    Keep logging your miles for Run Ranger Run – F3 is represented well by several teams – Keep going strong!!

  • 610 Stomp #180 – Stretch You Big Dummy!

    Some of us are born flexible and some of us are born…well, not. Either way, good running requires good stretching before and after the actual running. I’d first like to thank the good people at Runner’s World as well as the folks at Google for helping me create this Q.

    W/U – Complete each exercise from tree to tree

    • Quad + Piriformis Walk
    • Hip Opener
    • Arm Circles
    • Frankenstein Walk
    • Karaoke Run right over left
    • Karaoke Run left over right
    • Hold a Downward Dog for the 6

    Routine was a modification of Runner’s World “The 5-Minute Warm-UP Routine You Should Be Doing Before Every Run”

    The Thang

    • Run the Traditional Route and be back for 6:10.  YHC got in 3.6 miles with some great mumble chatter & F2 from War Eagle. Thanks for the push!

    C/D

    • Hip-Flexor Stretch
    • Hamstring Stretch
    • Piriformis Stretch
    • Lower Back Stretch #1

    https://www.runnersworld.com/training/g20862016/cool-down-routine/

    Announcements

    • F1/F2 event this Thursday at Wrong Iron.  DownPAINment will begin at 18:30  sharp. 
    • This Thursday & Every Thursday is the Lakeview Running Club.  Meets up for 18:30 for a 5K or more run followed by complementary Jambalaya Girl & Cash bar.    

    Intentions

    • A family friend & fellow Holy Cross grad, Jacob Stetchmann, fell 34 floors to his death in Honolulu.   Please keep his soul and his family in your prayers through this difficult time. 

    Thank you for the opportunity to lead – Da Parish

  • Stomps and Sprints

    Thanks to Gabrielle, YHC had a different take on his usual Stomp-and-Sprint workout. So Tuesday am, time was right to give it a test run. I think it has some potential, but needs some help. We will definitely try again soon.

    12 PAX gathered in the gloom. Nice to see a good sized crowd on a Tuesday am – thanks, brothers! Warmer than expected, causing YHC to regret the choice to bundle up. Oh, the fun of winter weather cycles in NOLA. After a disclaimer, the PAX set off for 30 minute run: meet back at the track at 6am.

    Not surprisingly, Smooth, El Guapo and Mahatma took off to the front. Even less surprisingly, Mr. Freedom-Hammer himself decided he didn’t want to hang back with El-G or M-Ice, and bolted. Smooth sure can fly. YHC enjoyed the chance to catch up with Sesame Street – I wish I had his dedication when travelling. 5 days in NOLA and 4 workouts. Nice work!

    Back at the track at 6am (Hawg straggling in late at his 11:45 pace), we gathered to try Gabrielle-themed workout. Split into groups of 4. 3 of the 4 take their position on the track roughly 1/3 apart from each other for a sprint relay. The 4th toes the line to get ready….

    • Position 1: 25 LBC
    • Position 2: 25 PJ
    • Position 3: 25 Merkins

    Go… PAX sprints to the Position 1. Tag, you’re it! PAX from Position sprints to the next spot, while the arriving PAX does the exercise and waits for the relay to come back around. That’s the cycle. Sprint when its your turn, do your exercise on arrival, and wait. As YHC says – needs a bit of work, but everyone got 3 or 4 sprints in before we headed back to the flag.

    COT ends with our count-off, name-o-rama, and close with a prayer to use the gift of Tuesday, January 22nd wisely.

  • Stifler’s Mom Down the River and Through the Quarter

  • A Tale of Two Fountains OR 4 Dudes on a Run, 1 on a Roll

    A Tale of Two Fountains OR 4 Dudes on a Run, 1 on a Roll

    It was a misfire at the starting gate, where Mariah and El Guapo met at one fountain in Coliseum Square and Mulligan and I met at the other.  Not knowing there were other PAX, each set of runners took off — in opposite directions around the Loop, each equally miffed wondering why the other group hadn’t shown up this morning.  Clearly, more planning and consistency is needed at Stifler’s.

    In the great and unequivocal way that all loops work, both sets of runners finally met at the midway point, despite running in different directions.  Having unified, the now whole PAX took off at a pace that only Mariah’s dog scoffed at.

    After El Guapo demonstrated his Frogger skills by dodging traffic, I learned my lesson in humility as I took a huge spill while making fun of the aforementioned near-pancake of a runner.  I executed an absolutely awful tuck, roll, and mumble excuse (a classic TRME) move that would have made no one in my family proud.

    Thankfully, the PAX was kind and only made fun of me for the next 6 blocks or so.

    We wrapped up with a commitment to future Thursday AM runs, gave Mariah’s now tired pup a few pats, then dispersed back into the Gloom.